The OBLIGATION of the Jewish People to Live in the Land of Israel

Shalom Aleichem Chevra, welcome back! Did you know there is a biblical mitzvah — backed by Rashi and the Ramban — that obligates every single Jew to live in the Land of Israel, right now, today? In this shiur we dig deep into Numbers 33:50-53, the parsha of Masai, where Hashem speaks to Moshe in the plains of Moab and lays out the mission of the Jewish people entering the Land of Israel. We look closely at what it actually means to cross the Jordan River — it is not about the schwarma, the pomegranate juice, or even the award-winning Israeli wines. Yehoshua had to remind the people while they were literally standing in the split waters of the Jordan: we are crossing into this land to drive out idolatry and make this a place for Hashem. That kavana, that intention, is what held the waters back. Rashi spells it out clearly — if you carry that intention, you will dwell securely. If not, the security of the land is compromised. Then we get to the Ramban, and this is the big booma of the whole shiur. The Ramban on this verse says explicitly: this is a positive mitzvah, a biblical obligation, that applies until this very day — every Jew has a mitzvah to come live in the Land of Israel